The Black Devil's Revenge
by Demosthenes23
Summary: Detective Crabapple must once again defeat the devilish Count Leoline, or risk losing the love of his life forever!


**Author's Note: I believe this is rather different from my first novel, the bestselling Curse of the Lost Pharaohs, and the lesser known Case of the Lost Ferrets, but it is guaranteed to be a thrill all the same! I also must of course give credit where credit is due. This story would not be possible if not for the masterful Bram Stoker. You sir are a genius! A terrifying genius! I still haven't finished all of Dracula!  
**

* * *

Count Leoline gazed at her from afar. His superior vision and remarkable hearing allowed him to snoop without appearing to do so. The beautiful woman so completely unaware of her admirer was in the middle of removing her ample skirts. He could hear her humming a soft tune to herself, one often used to lull small children to sleep. The Count could perform a similar feat but with far less effort. To hypnotize one such as she, was as simple as one, two, three. He smirked to himself slightly, knowing that at any moment he could make her his own, could bend her to his every devilish whim.

Footsteps were fast approaching the woman's home. The footfalls were distinctive enough that he instantly recognized who it was without actually being able to see him.

_Detective Crabapple..._

Just the thought of the young man sent The Count into barely restrained rage. The next instant he was master of his emotions and only his calm exterior showed.

_Soon_ _we shall meet again. And when we do..._

Count Leoline's lip curved in a wicked way, revealing a startling white fang.

He watched as the man embraced his semi naked wife, how she undressed him, how she led him to their bed, how they began to make love...

_Soon_, he thought again.

Then with a twist of his body, he disappeared into the night.

* * *

I awoke with a start. My dreams had been tortured and dark. They had been _those_ dreams again, the ones filled with blood and lust and death. It had been months since I last experienced them and I instinctively knew it could not be a good sign that I was having them once more. I wondered if it was possible that _he_ could be back. It was ridiculous to think so but the dreams...the dreams spoke for themselves.

_Should we flee?_

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I glanced sideways at my sleeping beauty and was satisfied that she appeared to be blissfully unaware. Her bare back was exposed and it was all I could do not to touch her then, to start anew the wonderful union of man and wife. It was amazing how quickly I had gotten over my ominous warnings. Just the sight of Emma seemed to dispel all evil from my mind. I kept my libido in check by thinking of an extremely unattractive man dressed in a nurses uniform. He had been a suspect of mine in a recent case, one with a penchant for shoving eyeballs down his victims throats; their _own _eyeballs that he had ripped from their skulls, while they were still alive!

That was not a mental image I wanted at the moment and did my best not to gag at the various gruesome memories that surfaced. What a vicious character! What a monster! And yet...he was nothing in comparison to the fiend, the one I referred to as the black devil.

I shivered then and not from the cold. I tried to organize my thoughts into something coherent, into a plan of action but it was no use. I had no clue what to do! If my previous tactics had been useless on him, what did that leave? How could I possibly hope to defeat him, once and for all?

The answer came to me in an instant. I would need Professor Murdoff's help, and lots of it. I would have gone that very instant but I could not leave Emma alone, defenceless, unaware of the danger that lurked close by. I knew how the devil's mind worked. He would come for her, as he did all the others and he would steal her from me, one drop of blood at a time.

I remained vigilant the rest of the night and barely seemed to breathe until the first rays of sunlight came streaming through my window. She was safe for now but tonight...tonight there was no telling what would happen and the thought simultaneously made my blood run cold and boil. I had only just found her, I was not about to lose her any time soon! With renewed determination, I decided then and there that I would do whatever it took to save her, even if it meant being dragged down into the depths of hell themselves.


End file.
